Despite message in TV ad, non-Bloomington residents can vote on 8.5-cent school referendum

Residents who live in the Monroe County Community School Corporation district (the whole purple area), but not in the city of Bloomington, can still vote in the Nov. 7 election—on the MCCSC referendum question.

All registered voters who live in the MCCSC school district will be able to vote on the school referendum question as part of the Nov. 7 “municipal election.”

That’s despite the message in a TV ad featuring Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne, which has run over the last few days on some Comcast channels like the Food Network.

The ad states incorrectly that only registered voters in the geographic boundaries of the city of Bloomington are eligible to vote in the election. The TV ad is supposed to be taken down by Saturday, Browne has told The B Square.

Voters can check their registration and preview their ballot on the Indiana Voter Portal.
Continue reading “Despite message in TV ad, non-Bloomington residents can vote on 8.5-cent school referendum”

Election 2023: In-person early voting in Monroe County kicks off

Looking northwest at the election operations building at 3rd and Walnut streets on Oct. 11, 2023.

On Wednesday morning at the Monroe County election operations building at 3rd and Walnut Streets, county clerk Nicole Browne kept her election tradition.

At precisely 8 a.m. when early in-person voting started, Browne opened the door and proclaimed: “Hear ye, hear ye! The polls are now open!”

She then turned back inside and went through the line as the first voter to cast a ballot. It’s a kind of quality control check—if there is a first-day glitch of any kind, she wants to be the first to experience it. On Wednesday there were none.

The schedule of days and times for in-person voting, through Election Day on Nov. 7, are included in a table below.
Continue reading “Election 2023: In-person early voting in Monroe County kicks off”

Bloomington District 6 city council: Dems pick Zulich

Sydney Zulich will appear on the Nov. 7 Bloomington municipal election ballot as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Bloomington city council District 6.

Zulich was the selection of the party’s caucus, which was held on Friday, to fill the ballot vacancy resulting from David Wolfe Bender’s resignation as the District 6 nominee.

Bender won the May 2 primary, as the only candidate on the ballot, but resigned amid a dispute over his residency in the district.

At Friday’s caucus, Zulich was the only candidate vying to fill the vacancy.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Indiana University this spring.

The caucus was held in Bloomington’s city council chambers at city hall. Continue reading “Bloomington District 6 city council: Dems pick Zulich”

Bloomington city council District 1 Democratic Party Primary: Joe Lee, Isabel Piedmont-Smith

The Democratic Party’s May 2 primary election for city council District 1 is a choice between Joe Lee and Isabel Piedmont-Smith. There is no Republican candidate in District 1.

This write-up provides specific background on the District 1 city council primary race as well as general background.

April 20 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. Application for an absentee ballot, verification of voter registration, and a preview of the ballot are available through the Indiana secretary of state’s voter information portal.

Early voting  started on April 4 at Monroe County’s election operations center, which is located at Walnut and 3rd streets. Continue reading “Bloomington city council District 1 Democratic Party Primary: Joe Lee, Isabel Piedmont-Smith”

Democratic Party’s mayoral candidates talk annexation, encampments, Lower Cascades closing

For 90 minutes on Monday night at Tri-North Middle School, the three candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor of Bloomington fielded questions at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County.

Seated from left to right on the stage of the school’s performance center, in front of an audience of about 40 people, were: Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson, and Don Griffin.

Asking the questions was Indiana University Maurer School of Law student, Laura Rusk. This report does not try to cover every question asked at the forum.

Community Access Television Services (CATS) was on hand to record the proceedings.

Monday’s forum took place on last day before the start of early voting, which begins Tuesday, April 4 at 8 a.m. The League of Women Voters maintains a list of upcoming candidate forums, for mayor and for city council races.

Annexation was a topic where some daylight had already been established between the candidates, and that distance was also apparent on Monday night. Griffin is in solid support of annexation, Sandberg in solid opposition Thomson is somewhere in between.

Although they disagree on annexation, Sandberg and Griffin found common ground on a recent proposal by Bloomington mayor John Hamilton to close Lower Cascades Road (Old State Road 37) to car traffic. Neither Sandberg nor Griffin want to see the road closed to automobiles.

The wording of the question went like this: “The sense is that those who would like to see Old State Road 37 closed, and the space transition to a green space, have few advocates in government. What is your position?”

Thomson did not state a position on the road closure, but analyzed the preamble to the question, saying, “The problem that this questioner has brought up, is not actually about the road—it’s about their access to their government.”

At Monday’s forum, the three candidates also responded to a question about the Seminary Park encampment that was the subject of a proposed ordinance in 2021.

Continue reading “Democratic Party’s mayoral candidates talk annexation, encampments, Lower Cascades closing”

Griffin, Sandberg, Thomson speak on social justice as early voting for May 2 mayoral primary looms

Appearing on stage in the auditorium of the Monroe County Public Library on Saturday afternoon were all three candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination as mayor of Bloomington: Don Griffin, Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson.

Early voting for the May 2 primary starts on April 4.

The theme of Saturday’s forum was: racial justice, social justice, and economic justice. The event was hosted by Monroe County NOW and several other organizations that are committed to advancing the interests of marginalized communities and promoting civic participation.

After giving two-minute opening statements, the candidates fielded questions delivered by moderator Maqubè Reese, who is associate director of diversity initiatives at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and president of the Monroe County Branch NAACP.

Asked how they would describe the racial climate in Monroe County the candidates agreed that improvement is needed. Continue reading “Griffin, Sandberg, Thomson speak on social justice as early voting for May 2 mayoral primary looms”

Logic and accuracy test done as Monroe County approaches start of early in-person voting on April 4

On Friday morning, Monroe County’s election equipment was put through its paces at the old Johnson Hardware building at 7th and Madison streets in downtown Bloomington, aka Election Central.

When the tallies were totalled up, from the test decks that had been fed through the three regular ballot scanners and one high-speed machine, they added up to the numbers they were supposed to.

Attending the test were all three election board members: Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne, Donovan Garletts and David Henry.

B&L IT Services is a contractor the county uses for logistics and technical support in connection with elections, including the upcoming city primary on May 2.

As B&L’s Bob White told the board, when he put a stack of printouts on the table: “These are the results we got. They were the expected results—if you compare them, they all match.”

Monroe County’s voting equipment is manufactured by Hart InterCivic.  Early in-person voting starts on April 4.

Bloomington voters will be electing party nominees for mayor, clerk, and nine city council seats. Ellettsville voters will elect party nominees for clerk/treasurer and town council. Continue reading “Logic and accuracy test done as Monroe County approaches start of early in-person voting on April 4”

3 Bloomington mayoral hopefuls speak at first forum

Appearing in the same room at the same time on Tuesday were all three Bloomington mayoral candidates in the May 2 primary race for the Democratic Party’s nomination: Don Griffin, Susan Sandberg, and Kerry Thomson 

The room was Aver’s Public House on South College Mall Road. The occasion was a regular meeting of the Monroe County Democrats’ Club. Each candidate delivered a stump speech. After that, they fielded a few questions as a group.

Also given time to speak was the sole candidate for city clerk, incumbent Nicole Bolden, as well as the two candidates for the District 2 city council seat, Kate Rosenbarger and Sue Sgambelluri, who both currently serve on the city council. The outcome of the redistricting process put the two in the same district.

This report from the Feb. 21 event is confined to the remarks and the Q&A for the mayoral candidates. Continue reading “3 Bloomington mayoral hopefuls speak at first forum”

Election 2023 notebook: Polling locations set, ballot inspection on Feb. 15, registration deadline April 3

In a Thursday afternoon meeting that lasted about six and a half minutes, Monroe County’s three-member election board dispatched all the resolutions related to setting polling locations for the May 2 primary elections.

There will be 17 polling locations for Bloomington’s city elections and one for Ellettsville. The board voted not to hold elections in Stinesville, because there are no contested races.

Monroe County commissioners still need to sign off on the poll locations. Continue reading “Election 2023 notebook: Polling locations set, ballot inspection on Feb. 15, registration deadline April 3”

2023 Bloomington Elections | Primary field for Dems set: 3 for mayor, 5 of 6 council districts contested, 7 candidates for 3 at-large seats, 1 for clerk

On Jan. 4, residents were able start filing official declarations of candidacy in the 2023 Bloomington primary elections.

But at noon on Friday, the time for filing official paperwork expired.

No unexpected declarations for mayor were recorded on the last day of filing. That means voters across the city in Bloomington’s Democratic Party primary on May 2 will have three mayoral candidates to choose from: Kerry Thomson; Susan Sandberg; and Don Griffin.

And Democrats will have a pool of seven at-large city council candidates—from which to choose three.

There’s only one candidate in the Democratic primary for city clerk—incumbent Nicole Bolden.

Republican voters will have no citywide candidates to choose from.

The one independent candidate for mayor who has filed paperwork to establish a committee is Joseph Davis. But he has not yet submitted the 352 signatures that he needs, in order to be placed on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. The deadline for Davis and any other independent candidates to submit signatures is June 30.

Continue reading “2023 Bloomington Elections | Primary field for Dems set: 3 for mayor, 5 of 6 council districts contested, 7 candidates for 3 at-large seats, 1 for clerk”